Box of Delights

On the loveliest day of the year so far, I visited a private garden in the depths of Kent for a plant sale in aid of charity – and aside from acquiring some very nice plants from specialist growers, I was mightily impressed by the garden which was beautifully laid out with self-contained areas that were cleverly concealed from one another. The topiary garden made me yelp with delight when I came round the corner and saw it laid out before me. Clustered beneath white-stemmed silver birch, it is the contrast between the airiness of the trees and the solid geometrical shapes of the box that really make this garden work. It was all very sophisticated except for one quirky touch which endeared it even more to me – a pair of topiary birds on a nest of untrimmed variegated box.